Wisconsin Statewide fishing report 5.13.10
The weather kept both fishing pressure and fish activity at a minimum on most waters. In the north, the snow and cold rain dropped water temperatures back down into the 50s, and moved many of the panfish that had been starting to stage in shallows to begin spawning back out to deeper water.
The diehard anglers that have been out trying their luck have really had to work at catching their fish. There really hasn't been any consistent pattern yet to the early season walleye bite and anglers have been having some success on both minnows and leeches in 8 to 14 feet of water and the active in the early morning hours and in the hour before dark. Northern pike action has been fair and bass activity is just starting to pick up and there have been the first few observations of largemouth being seen paired up and starting on their nesting period. Anglers are reminded that the "catch and release" season is in effect in the Northern Zone through June 19 and all bass should be quickly returned to the water.
The walleye bite on the Menominee River remained and were also catching smallmouth bass. Anglers reported some bluegill, smallmouth bass and brown trout activity on the Oconto River by the Stiles. Fox River anglers fishing from shore have been finding good numbers of drum and catfish, along with few walleyes at night. White bass were being caught up by the dam in the faster current.
Angling pressure for brown trout died down this past week out of both the Manitowoc and Two Rivers ports. A few boats ventured out over the weekend when winds allowed, but had little success. Brown trout fishing also tapered off somewhat all along Door County. Some fish were still being caught outside of the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal and along the shorelines to the west along Potawatomi State Park. But as brown trout fishing has slowed the smallmouth bass fishing has quickly taken its place. Many anglers were seen county wide preparing for the upcoming bass tournament out of Sturgeon Bay this weekend.
With the recent rain, water levels came up on rivers, especially in the south, but many northern rivers remain at unseasonably low spring levels.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) -
The cold, windy and rainy/snowy weather of the past week has kept both fishing pressure and fish activity at a minimum on most waters across the Northwoods. The diehard anglers that have been out trying their luck have really had to work at catching their fish. Walleye are the most sought after fish in the Northwoods in May and reports have indicated poor to mediocre success. There really hasn't been any consistent pattern yet to the early season bite and walleye anglers have been having some success on both minnows and leeches. The best action has come in 8 to 14 feet of water and the active bite has been concentrated in the early morning hours and in the hour before dark. Most of the walleye that are being caught have been in the 11 to 15-inch size, but a few fish in the 18 to 23-inch size have also been landed. Many of the anglers have also reported catching smallmouth bass and medium-size musky while jigging or casting for walleye. Panfish action could only be termed fair as the colder water temperatures have driven many of the fish back to deeper water. Both crappie and bluegill have been creeping back up into shallow water on sunny, warmer days, and this has provided some decent action when conditions were right. Look for this to greatly improve with any kind of warming trend. Northern pike action has been fair with anglers catching small to medium-size fish along the newly developing weed beds. Bass activity is just starting to pick up and there have been the first few observations of largemouth being seen paired up and starting on their nesting period. Anglers are reminded that the "Catch and Release" season is still in effect in the Northern Zone and all bass should be quickly returned to the water.
Peshtigo
Windy days, cool weather, and snow has put off the walleye in bay for the time being. Anglers are reporting an 8 degree drop in water temperature on the bay. The few fish being caught have moved to deeper waters in the 12 to 16 foot range.
Marinette County ?
Anglers fishing below the Peshtigo dam reported some catches of smallmouth bass on fly rods using streamers and with casting rods employing small stick baits. The walleye bite on the Menominee River remains good with anglers using jigs and crawlers with a dead drift around transition areas and drop-offs. Smallmouth bass were also being caught using stick baits. The Government and Light House piers have still been producing some nice walleye during the periods of low light.
Oconto County ?
Anglers reported some bluegill activity by the Stiles dam area using slip bobbers and leaf worms or just drifting a worm with a small split shot in the current. Some nice smallmouth bass and brown trout were also being caught from the dam at Stiles, and below the 141 road bridge, small Rap's, spinners, and worms are the baits of choice.
Green Bay
Brown County -
Fox River anglers fishing from shore have been finding good numbers of drum and catfish. A few walleyes have been caught as well; most are casting, jigging at night to get them to strike. Anglers that have been fishing from boats have been finding some success trolling for walleyes. White bass were being caught up by the dam in the faster current. Lower Green Bay anglers have been trolling deep diving crank baits and crawler harnesses with some fair success. Anglers have been trolling in 10-25 feet of water.
Manitowoc County -
Cold temperatures hovering around the freezing mark combined with strong winds and heavy rain mixed with snow left the Manitowoc/Two Rivers lakeshore quiet this past week. Strong southerly winds dominated most of the week while water temperatures dropped to the middle 50s throughout the area. Despite heavy rain during the week, water levels and clarity returned to normal by the weekend. Angling pressure for brown trout died down this past week out of both the Manitowoc and Two Rivers ports. A few boats ventured out over the weekend when winds allowed, but had little success. White and other light colored spoons on the dypsy have had the majority of hits and fish. The most success for brown trout came in the Manitowoc harbor, where anglers landed several using plane silver champs and cleos in several colors. Off the Manitowoc piers, a few 7-10 pound channel catfish have been landed using spawn slightly off the bottom. According to anglers, a few steelhead were still being caught using flies or floating spawn early in the week near the Shoto dam on the West Twin River. Several 17-18 inch smallmouth bass were also caught near the dam using crank baits and jigging large pieces of night crawler. At Cato Falls on the Manitowoc River, the excellent northern pike fishing continued this week mixed in with an occasional smallmouth bass using jointed-stick baits and other crank baits.
Door County -
The first week of May brought some warmer temperatures to the county; however, it followed suit to April with blustery conditions. The strongest winds came mid morning on Wednesday out of the southeast with gusts upwards of 35 miles per hour. Despite the prevalent winds, there was sunshine throughout most of the week. Brown trout fishing has tapered off somewhat county wide. Fish were still being caught outside of the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal and along the shorelines to the West along Potawatomi State Park and the Stone Quarry. Fish Creek and Egg harbor on the bay side and Baileys Harbor and Rowley?s Bay on the lake side have also been producing some fish. As brown trout fishing has slowed the smallmouth bass fishing has quickly taken its place. Many anglers were seen county wide preparing for the upcoming bass tournament in Sturgeon Bay. Success has been had using jerk baits, tube jigs, and plastics further inside many of the bays around the county. Fishing in 4-10 feet of water has been most productive. Little Sturgeon Bay anglers have been fishing for bass with some good successes. Most have been fishing in 2-6 feet of water. Anglers are practicing catch and release tactics to allow for the smallmouth to continue their spawn. Northern pike fishing has been steady with most anglers having their success between the bridges in Sturgeon Bay. Trolling stick baits or jigging live bait along the shipping channel in the bay has produced some fish, as well as casting over weed beds and into some of the marinas in town. Walleye have pretty well completed their spawn. Some anglers still targeting walleye have had success on husky jerks and jigging live bait along the shorelines towards Potawatomi Park and out around Sherwood Point. Musky fishing is also right around the corner and some anglers will be out targeting the majestic fish. Some anglers reported hooking into them while trying for northern pike, a good indication that the fish are around.
Kewaunee County -
The majority of the week had high winds (20-30mph) and very limited fishing on both the lake and in the stream. The rain showers also brought much needed water to the streams and helped raise the water levels. Mother?s Day brought great weather with temperatures in the 50s and very low winds. The Kewaunee ramp saw a few boats launch on Mother?s Day that came back with some great results. Most of the anglers came back with some rainbow trout that were topping 11 pounds. Reports of salmon biting are starting to become more prevalent also. The fish are being caught on different colors of spoons ranging from purple to chartreuse. There have been no reports of fish being caught of the pier in Kewaunee. The area behind Brummer Park has seen low fishing pressure but the few anglers have caught some rainbow trout close to the bridge in worms and stick baits. Clyde?s Hill seems to be the hotspot in Kewaunee this week. Anglers were catching lots of brown trout with occasional strikes from steelhead. A few people have claimed to have caught more than 20 brown trout. The average size of the fish being caught ranges from 6 inches up to 18 inches with the majority being around the 8 inch size. The trout were being caught on small spinners with the best color being purple. The Algoma ramp and pier have seen very little fishing pressure this week due to the high winds but the few boats that launched managed to return with a few rainbow trout. Stony Creek is the only stream that has seen any fishing pressure this week but there have been no reports of any fish being caught there. The clear water does reveal that smaller brown trout are now in the stream. The forrestville dam is still providing panfish above the dam and a few rainbow trout have been caught below the dam on earthworms.
Information Compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
